Have you ever sat across from a client feeling like they’re telling you about your story? Have you ever noticed an urge to share something with a client related to your own lived experiences, but aren’t sure if it’s appropriate? Maybe it’s your own lived experiences with infertility, loss, birth, trauma, or parenting that have led you into perinatal work. As therapists, we’re human too with our own life experiences that can influence our clinical work.

Through lecture and large and small group discussions, this training approaches the clinical issues of self-disclosure, countertransference, and compassion fatigue through the lens of the Wounded Healer. Embracing the concept of the Wounded Healer allows us to accept that our own difficult lived experiences (aka wounds) can enrich the therapeutic process when utilized thoughtfully and intentionally. In this training, you will be able to reflect on your own lived experiences to identify areas of clinical vulnerabilities such as countertransference and compassion fatigue. Additionally, you will be provided with the knowledge and tools to decide if therapist self-disclosure of lived experiences is an appropriate intervention for your work with perinatal clients.